Outlook for Video Game Design Careers

With video game sales more than quadrupling between 1996 and 2008, video game design represents a vibrant and fast-growing part of the entertainment industry. In fact, with $11.7 billion dollars in sales in 2008, video games have surpassed film ticket sales, which brought in $9.6 billion in the same year.

These kind of statistics underscore the fact that video games are a staple of daily life for many Americans. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), computer or video games are present in  roughly 68 percent of American households. The average age of game players is 35, and they've been playing for 12 or more years. Also 25 percent of Americans over the age of 50 play video games, proving that it's not just a hobby for the young. This is good news for individuals hoping to start video game design careers.

Many factors go into determining your future video game design salary. Here are just a few of the issues that will come into play when you are looking for jobs and hoping for that big paycheck:

Geographic Location – If you live in a large city instead of a rural area, chances are good that your video game designer salary will be higher to account for cost of living differences. You may also find more top-notch employers who are willing and able to pay more to attract talent.

Job Experience –The longer you've worked in the field the more valuable you'll be to your employer. Not only will you have game design expertise, but you should also have a strong understanding of how to get things done in a real-world work environment.

Education Level – The more training you have, the more versatile you'll be. Or perhaps you'll have specialized knowledge and skills that will make you a more attractive job candidate. While a degree is not the be-all-end-all key to success, it certainly can't hurt you—especially when it comes time to negotiate your video game designer salary.

Job Title – If you get hired in an entry-level game design job, you'll probably make significantly less than someone with the word "senior" or "manager" attached to their title. While paying your dues is often an inescapable part of starting a new career, it never hurts to be thinking about your job path and how you might like your career to evolve over time.

Employer – If you work for a large, well-known company, you may make more than if you work for a small startup. There can be clear advantages to either, so it's really a matter of determining which employer is the best fit for you. But salary may certainly play a significant part in your decision.

You may not be able to pinpoint your exact earnings before you're actually ready to begin your job search and have more of the pieces to the salary puzzle in place, but here are some general statistics that will give you an idea of what to expect. The following data shows average salaries for various jobs in the video game design industry in 2008. However, keep in mind that experience pays off, so as you gain tenure in your position, your salary may increase dramatically:

If you're looking for game design job opportunities, you're geographic location will play a big part in what's available to you. In the U.S., six states account for more than 74 percent of the video game industry. If you're serious about a video game design career, you may want to consider relocating to one of the following states:

The increasing complexity and popularity of video games has translated into more video game design jobs and larger design teams. With the growth in the video game design industry, this is a great time to think about starting a career in this field. If you have a passion for games and the drive to succeed, a video game design career might be the perfect fit for you.

• _{Entertainment Software Association}
• _{Game Developer Salary Survey 2008}